AFL dream under serious threat

St Kilda’s hopes of qualifying for this year’s finals series are under serious threat, with news Geelong will welcome back a handful of players including marquee recruit Jeremy Cameron for the sides’ clash this weekend.

The 11th-placed Saints need to win both their remaining games to sneak into the playoffs – and have other results go their way – but the returns of star Cats Jeremy Cameron, Isaac Smith, Lachie Henderson and Mark O’Connor could well throw a spanner in the works.

St Kilda’s stocks have been replenished as well, but injured Saints Hunter Clark and Paddy Ryder are still at least another week away.

The side welcomes back luckless former Swan Dan Hannebury for his first game of the season as well as defender Dougal Howard.

Hannebery last played in St Kilda’s 2020 semi final loss to Richmond. Picture: Quinn Rooney / Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

Elsewhere, Sydney’s Lance Franklin is among the big-name stars rested for round 22.

The Western Bulldogs have opted to give young gun Jamarra Ugle-Hagan a rest this weekend, while Essendon’s Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Jeremy Howe of Collingwood are being managed as well.

When they face the resurgent Hawks on Saturday, the Bulldogs will get their first taste of life without Josh Bruce this season.

Bruce faces a long stint on the sidelines recovering from the ACL injury he suffered last week, so he won’t feature in the Bulldogs’ push for their third AFL/VFL premiership.

In better news for the second-placed side, Alex Keath, Laitham Vendermeer, Lewis Young, Mitch Hannan and Cody Weightman have all been cleared to return.

West Coast welcomes back a handful of stars of their own for this weekend’s Western Australian derby.

Despite enduring a turbulent season, the Eagles can lock up a spot in the finals with a win over Fremantle and will be looking to returning stars Liam Ryan, Luke Shuey, Luke Foley, Tom Barrass and Jake Waterman for inspiration.

Liam Ryan is among the Eagles returning this weekend. Picture: Jono Searle / AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

After a horror month, the Lions’ season looks to be back on track, and no man will add more composure to the pointy end of their regular season than Lachie Neale, who returns from a bout of gastro to face Collingwood.

Elsewhere, the Giants are still without captain Stephen Coniglio for Friday night’s clash with Richmond.

Coniglio has managed just four AFL games this season and has been struggling to overcome a toe injury in recent weeks.

Josh Kelly, Shane Mumford and star recruit Jesse Hogan are among six players returning for GWS this weekend.

Toby Greene isn’t one of those six. The small forward unsuccessfully sought to have his one-match striking ban overturned at the AFL Appeals Board on Thursday afternoon.

AFL ROUND 22 TEAMS (All times AEST)

GWS GIANTS v RICHMOND

Friday August 13, 7:50pm at Marvel Stadium

GIANTS

B: Stein, Taylor, Cumming

HB: Peatling, Haynes, Whitfield

C: Kennedy, Ward, Ash

HF: Lloyd, Himmelberg, de Boer

F: Sproule, Hogan, Taranto

FOLL: Mumford, Hopper, Kelly

I/C: Bruhn, Perryman, O’Halloran, Idun

EMG: Riccardi, Stone, Davis, Briggs

IN: Kennedy, Lloyd, Hogan, Mumford, Hopper, Kelly

OUT: Riccardi, Briggs (both omitted), Greene (suspended), Brown, Daniels, Buntine (all injured), Shipley (sub)

TIGERS

B: Vlastuin, Grimes, Astbury

HB: Stack, Short, Rioli

C: Bolton, Cotchin, Dow

HF: Edwards, Lambert, Baker

F: Lynch, Parker, Riewoldt

FOLL: Nankervis, Prestia, Graham

I/C: Mansell, Coleman-Jones, Ralphsmith, Rioli

EMG: Garthwaite, Aarts, McIntosh, Martyn

IN: Nil

OUT: Castagna (sub)

HAWTHORN v WESTERN BULLDOGS

Saturday August 14, 1:45pm at UTAS Stadium

HAWKS

B: O’Brien, Hartigan, Frost

HB: Howe, Scrimshaw, Hardwick

C: Shiels, O’Meara, Bramble

HF: Hanrahan, Lewis, Nash

F: Wingard, McEvoy, Koschitzke

FOLL: Ceglar, Mitchell, Morrison

I/C: Burgoyne, Phillips, Worpel, Brockman

EMG: Downie, Hartley, Morris, Newcombe

IN: Nil

OUT: Moore (injured)

BULLDOGS

B: Cordy, Keath, Williams

HB: Wood, Young, Dale

C: Daniel, Liberatore, Hunter

HF: Johannisen, Hannan, Smith

F: Treloar, Naughton, Weightman

FOLL: English, Macrae, Bontempelli

I/C: Dunkley, Duryea, Vandermeer, Garcia

EMG: Smith, Scott, Khamis, Richards

IN: Keath, Young, Hannan, Weightman, Vandermeer

OUT: Richards (omitted), Schache, Bruce (both injured), Scott, Ugle-Hagan (both managed), Smith (sub)

GEELONG v ST KILDA

Saturday August 14, 4:35pm at GMHBA Stadium

CATS

B: Henry, Blicavs, Henderson

HB: Stewart, Kolodjashnij, Bews

C: Holmes, C.Guthrie, Smith

HF: Dahlhaus, Cameron, Higgins

F: Close, Hawkins, Ratugolea

FOLL: Stanley, Selwood, Dangerfield

I/C: O’Connor, Menegola, Z.Guthrie, Parfitt

EMG: Clark, Evans, Narkle, Kreuger

IN: Henderson, Smith, Cameron, O’Connor

OUT: Kreuger, Clark (both omitted), Tuohy, Rohan (both injured), Narkle (sub)

SAINTS

B: Wilkie, Howard, Highmore

HB: Sinclair, Webster, Hill

C: Hannebery, Byrnes, Ross

HF: Butler, Crouch, Higgins

F: King, Membrey, Kent

FOLL: Marshall, Steele, Jones

I/C: Coffield, McKenzie, Dunstan, Sharman

EMG: Joyce, Long, Hunter, Bytel

IN: Howard, Hannebery

OUT: Joyce, Bytel (both omitted), Connolly (injured)

PORT ADELAIDE v CARLTON

Saturday August 14, 4:35pm at Adelaide Oval

POWER

B: Burton, Clurey, Aliir

HB: Bergman, Jonas, Byrne-Jones

C: Duursma, Wines, Houston

HF: Amon, Georgiades, Butters

F: Gray, Dixon, Rozee

FOLL: Lycett, Boak, Drew

I/C: Marshall, Bonner, Ladhams, Fantasia

EMG: Mayes, Powell-Pepper, Motlop, Lienert

IN: Clurey

OUT: McKenzie (injured), Powell-Pepper (omitted)

BLUES

B: Stocker, Weitering, Newman

HB: Saad, Plowman, Williamson

C: Walsh, Cripps, O’Brien

HF: Murphy, C.Curnow, Martin

F: Betts, McGovern, Honey

FOLL: De Koning, Kennedy, Dow

I/C: Kemp, Newnes, Fisher, E.Curnow

EMG: Casboult, Petrevski-Seton, Durdin, Fogarty

IN: McGovern, Kemp

OUT: Jones, McKay, Silvagni (all injured)

BRISBANE LIONS v COLLINGWOOD

Saturday August 14, 7:25pm at the Gabba

LIONS

B: Gardiner, Andrews, Starcevich

HB: Birchall, Lester, Rich

C: McCluggage, Bailey, J.Berry

HF: McCarthy, McStay, Zorko

F: Ah Chee, Daniher, Cameron

FOLL: McInerney, Lyons, Neale

I/C: Cockatoo, Coleman, Prior, Fullarton

EMG: T.Berry, Mathieson, Ballenden, Madden

IN: Gardiner, Neale

OUT: Berry (sub), Robinson (injured), Mathieson (omitted)

MAGPIES

B: Ruscoe, Roughead, Maynard

HB: Crisp, Madgen, Mayne

C: Hoskin-Elliott, De Goey, Daicos

HF: Thomas, Cameron, Henry

F: Ginnivan, Mihocek, Elliott

FOLL: Grundy, Sidebottom, Adams

I/C: Bianco, McCreery, Macrae, Murphy

EMG: Lynch, McInnes, Noble, Wilson

IN: Daicos, Murphy

OUT: Quaynor (illness), Howe (managed), Noble (omitted)

NORTH MELBOURNE v SYDNEY

Saturday August 14, 7:40pm at Marvel Stadium

KANGAROOS

B: Tarrant, McKay, Turner

HB: Ziebell, Walker, Hall

C: Dumont, Simpkin, McDonald

HF: Stephenson, Comben, Thomas

F: Taylor, Larkey, Zurhaar

FOLL: Goldstein, Davies-Uniacke, Anderson

I/C: Scott, Bonar, Phillips, Ford

EMG: Bosenavulagi, Young, Spicer, Campbell

IN: Comben

OUT: Campbell (omitted), Mahony (injured)

SWANS

B: Cunningham, Melican, Rampe

HB: Blakey, McCartin, Dawson

C: McInerney, Kennedy, Florent

HF: Hayward, Heeney, Wicks

F: Gulden, Reid, Papley

FOLL: Hickey, Hewett, Parker

I/C: Fox, Rowbottom, McLean, Campbell

EMG: Sinclair, O’Riordan, Bell, Gray

IN: Melican, McLean, Campbell

OUT: Stephens (omitted), Lloyd (injured), Franklin (managed), Clarke (sub)

MELBOURNE v ADELAIDE

Sunday August 15, 2:10pm at the MCG

DEMONS

B: Salem, May, Lever

HB: Rivers, Petty, Bowey

C: Brayshaw, Petracca, Langdon

HF: Neal-Bullen, Melksham, Fritsch

F: Pickett, Brown, Spargo

FOLL: Gawn, Oliver, Harmes

I/C (from): Jackson, Bedford, Hibberd, vandenBerg, Jordon, Weideman, Sparrow, Smith

IN: Bedford, Hibberd, Weideman, Smith

OUT: Hunt (injured)

CROWS

B: Murray, Butts, Kelly

HB: McPherson, Doedee, Jones

C: Cook, Keays, Seedsman

HF: Mackay, Himmelberg, Murphy

F: McHenry, Thilthorpe, Fogarty

FOLL: Strachan, Laird, Sloane

I/C (from): Sholl, Lynch, Schoenberg, McAdam, Davis, Berry, Gollant, Frampton

IN: Strachan, Sholl, McAdam, Berry, Gollant, Frampton

OUT: Hamill, Smith, O’Brien (all injured)

GOLD COAST v ESSENDON

Sunday August 15, 3:20pm at GMHBA Stadium

SUNS

B: Powell, Collins, Lemmens

HB: Farrar, Ballard, Swallow

C: Fiorini, Miller, Sharp

HF: Jeffrey, Lukosius, Sexton

F: Corbett, King, Ainsworth

FOLL: Smith, Anderson, Rowell

I/C (from): Atkins, Bowes, Brodie, Burgess, Davies, Flanders, MacPherson, Townsend

IN: Atkins, Brodie, Flanders, Davies

OUT: B.Ellis (injured)

BOMBERS

B: Laverde, Stewart, Cutler

HB: Redman, Ridley, Hind

C: Shiel, Merrett, Durham

HF: Smith, Francis, Perkins

F: Stringer, Wright, Snelling

FOLL: Draper, Parish, Clarke

I/C (from): Gleeson, Heppell, Cox, Guelfi, Waterman, Phillips, Ham, McGrath

IN: Heppell, Phillips, Ham, McGrath

OUT: McDonald-Tipungwuti (managed)

FREMANTLE v WEST COAST

Sunday August 15, 5:10pm at Optus Stadium

DOCKERS

B: Walker, Logue, Ryan

HB: Young, Pearce, Aish

C: Tucker, Mundy, Colyer

HF: Switkowski, Taberner, Henry

F: Schultz, Treacy, Crowden

FOLL: Darcy, Serong, Cerra

I/C (from): Bewley, Meek, Blakely, Banfield, Western, Acres, Hughes, Watson

IN: Switkowski, Banfield, Acres, Hughes, Watson

OUT: Wilson (injured), Brayshaw (suspended)

EAGLES

B: Sheppard, Barrass, Cole

HB: Nelson, McGovern, Witherden

C: Gaff, Yeo, Sheed

HF: Redden, Darling, Ryan

F: Cripps, Kennedy, Allen

FOLL: Naitanui, Kelly, Shuey

I/C (from): Waterman, Langdon, L.Edwards, Vardy, Petruccelle, Foley, Hutchings, H.Edwards

IN: Barrass, Ryan, Shuey, Waterman, Foley

OUT: Hurn (injured), West (omitted)

Source: Read Full Article